1. Maximizing language learning by activating intuitive heuristics Dr. Ilknur Oded

2. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER What is Intuitive Heuristics? 2 Heuristics: Process of self- discovery on the part of the learner Creating a linguistics environment that stimulates learners’problem- solving skills and allows them to learn L2 through self-discovery

3. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Grammar learning How did you learn the grammar of your native language? Do you think you can acquire the grammar of a foreign language the same way you acquired your own? If yes, under what conditions? When you were learning a foreign language, how did the teacher introduce grammar in class? What type of activities helped you learn grammar better? 3

4. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Inert Knowledge Problem 4 Information which one can express but not use (Whitehead, 1929) Knowledge cannot be used in effective problem solving in real life situations Learners might demonstrate that they have learned something in the classroom. But then they can’t do it outside of the classroom or at a later point in time

5. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Why to activate intuitive heuristics? 5 If the learners are presented with a set of grammatical rules without opportunities to practice, learners can supply the correct grammar on a class test but cannot use it outside the class. Activating intuitive heuristics raises learner's consciousness about the features of the L2 rather than listing a set of rules and asking learners to memorize them. If the learner is constantly engaged in analyzing and reanalyzing the data and reformulating rules, the rules are retained better.

6. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Three Dimensions of Grammar 6

7. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Grammaring Three-dimensional Grammar (Larsen-Freeman 2003) Example: The board was erased Form: Phonology, Morphology, Syntax – How is it formed? Meaning: Semantics – What does it mean? Use: Pragmatics/when and why is it used? - Heart disease is considered the leading cause of death in the United States - My bike was stolen - The glass was broken

8. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Noticing the Gap Noticing the gap – ability to notice the gap between what we know and what we need to know makes progress in learning In order to notice the gap, learners have to first recognize that there is something to be learned. Susan Gass (1997, p. 4) calls this apperception— “an internal cognitive act in which a linguistic form is related to some bit of existing knowledge” (i.e. cognitive act of connecting the known to the new) 8

9. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Grammar Discovery Activities How do we form past tense in English?: ABC grabreapstate hugpeakraid loveunearth buzzbuff Judgekiss ramwish Longpitch kill tie bow 9

10. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Past Tense formation Past tense = /d/ (Column A) Allomorphic rules: a)Change the past tense morpheme to /t/ when a voiceless sound precedes it (Column B) a)Insert [ə] before the past tense morpheme when a regular verb ends in an alveolar stop (Column C) 10

11. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Past Tense Formation 11 Children as rule makers

12. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Grammar Discovery Activities 12 Kitap Kitap-lar Kalem Kalem-ler

13. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Grammar Discovery A, I, O, U -LAR E, İ, Ö, Ü - LER 13

14. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Alıştırma (Exercise) 14 Sınıfta ne var?(What is there in class?) Sınıfta sandalyeler var(In class, there are chairs)

15. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Language Areas 15

16. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Language Areas Broca’s Area - responsible for: Language production Use of inflectional morphemes (e.g. plural, past tense markers), function words (preposition, determiners) Wernicke’s Area – responsible for: Language perception Language comprehension 16

17. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER Language Areas Studies reveal that if we keep animals in a low-stimulation environment, their brains actually weigh less than that are engaged This might hold for learners in low-stimulation contexts 17 Rita (1999)

18. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER To sum up 18 Heuristics: Process of self-discovery on the part of the learner Learners derive generalizations based on the presented data and classroom interaction Process-oriented approach which maximizes learning Learners comprehend and retain better if they discover the rules on their own Acknowledges learner’s active role in the learning process and promotes learner autonomy

19. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER To sum up The brain is like a muscle that develops with regular exercise. It is constantly rewiring itself depending on which parts of the brain are frequently used and which parts fall into disuse. An efficient method of improving recall and understanding of target language grammatical structures is to self-discover the rules In order to sustain and enhance TL, learners need to expose themselves to material of varying levels of complexity, and interact with other learners and native speakers 19

20. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER References 20 Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (3rd ed). Harlow, England: Longman/Pearson ESL Gass, S. M. (1997). Input, Interaction, and the Second Language Learner. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Kumaravadivelu, B. (2003). Beyond methods: Macrostrategies for language teaching. New Haven: Yale University Press Larsen-Freeman, D. (2003). Teaching language: From grammar to grammaring. Boston: Thomson/Heinl Carter, Rita. Mapping the Mind. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999. Whitehead, A. N. (1929). The Aims of Education and Other Essays. New York: The Free Press.

21. DEFENSE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CENTER 21 Thank you! Any questions?